Winter Beauty Checklist : Body

The winter chill is well and truly upon us, and in what better way to celebrate than with a roundup of the bodycare bits vital to maintaining those smooth scented limbs, soft hands, and kissable lips throughout the festive season?

THE LIP BALM : My biggest gripe with lip-balms is that so many of them leave my lips in even worse form than they were when I started using them. Dry, chapped lips are an inevitable feature of winter for me and it's taken a whole lotta trialling and testing for me to find The One(s). I adore Lush's Lip Scrubs for removing dry skin and smoothening the surface of my lips, but when it comes to adding a layer of moisture and protection, Aesop's Rosehip Seed Lip Cream* is my ultimate essential. Light and silky, this absorbs really easily without leaving excessive residue, and leaves my lips feeling instantly soothed and hydrated.

THE HAND CREAM : Prior to this year I've never been faithful to a particular hand cream. My hands don't tend to get overly dry so I've always used hand cream more as a comforting and preventative measure than a curative one. That was until Byredo's La Tulipe Hand Cream* landed on my desk. As with ALL Byredo products, this smells DREAMY and the scent lingers for hours - elegant but not overpowering. The cream itself feels incredibly nourishing and softening upon application, and manages the holy grail goal of hand cream goals (to sink in fast without leaving a trace of grease). Five stars Byredo.

THE SHOWER GEL : Adding a touch of festivity to such mundane a ritual as my daily shower is all it takes to get me into the Christmas spirit, and I treat myself to one of Philosophy's divinely scented offerings every year. I adore these products as they can also be used (and work brilliantly as) shampoo and bubble bath, and Philosophy somehow manage to nail the scent without creating anything overly sweet or synthetic. Philosophy's Homemade Pumpkin Pie Shower Gel is one of my all-time favourites (a must for PSL addicts).

THE BODY BALM : If you're pressed for time or prefer a product which sinks into the skin then choose a balm over a lotion. They may not be as rich and nourishing but will certainly apply a worthy injection of moisture and suppleness. My all time favourite is the Aesop Resolute Hydrating Body Balm*. I adore its warm, earthy aroma of pepper, almond, and coriander, and find that the formula is super hydrating but sinks in fast without leaving a sticky/greasy layer.

THE BODY LOTION : For a more indulgent moisturising experience, Cowshed's Lazy Cow Body Lotion is my preferred evening treat. A thick velvety cream which feels like a hug in a bottle and boasts one of my favourite scent combinations (chamomile, sandalwood, and jasmine). The calming, uplifting aroma makes this my favourite Sunday night pick me up, and the luxe formula leaves my limbs primed and prepped for the week ahead.

THE BATH TREATS : My bath sees more action in the winter months than it does in the rest of the year combined. After all, there's nothing like a long hot soak in the tub to combat that 'chilled to the bones' sensation. Lush's bath bombs always add an element of excitement to any bath, and their Christmas offerings more so than any others. This year I'm loving The Christmas Penguin* (orange and lemon), Butterbear* (vanilla and musk), Cinders (cinnamon and almond), and So White (apple and bergamot).